Burial-robe.



PATENTED JULY 19, 1904.

W. J. WORDBN.

BURIAL ROBE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 26, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

N0 MODEL.

PATENTED JULY 19, 1904.

W. J. WORDEN.

BURIAL ROBE.

nrunuron FILED APB. 2.6. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

10 MODEL.

Witnesses 61 Roman;

UNITED STATES Patented July 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILL J. VVORDEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE WORDEN- CLARKE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BURIAL-ROBE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 765,536, dated July 19, 1904:.

Application filed April 26, 1904. Serial No. 205,008. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILL J. WORDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Burial-Robes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to burial-robes for men; and it consists in the peculiar and advantageous mans burial-robe hereinafter described, and particularly defined in the claim appendedf In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the robe constituting the present and preferred embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2, a rear elevation of the robe as the same appears when properly placed on a corpse; Fig. 3, a rear elevation of the robe as the same appears when opened throughout its length; Fig. 4, a detail section, on an enlarged scale, taken through a portion of the body and one of the sleeves of the robe; Fig. 5, adetail trans verse section taken in the plane indicated by the line 5 5 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 a detail section taken at right angles to Fig. 5 and in the plane indicated by the line 6 6 of Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

The mans burial-robe constituting the present and the preferred embodiment of my invention is made up of a body A, preferably of black dress-goods, open at its back throughout its length and also open at its front from its upper end to an intermediate point of its length and having a collar (0, lapels b, and sleeves 0 like those of the ordinary coat worn in life, a lining B, of sateen or other suitable material, in the upper ends of the portions of the body at opposite sides of the back opening therein and designed to fasten the robe on a corpse, a stiff bosom D, preferably of linen, stitched or otherwise permanently connected to the inner side of the front of the body at opposite sides of and below the front opening therein and having a semineckband d, a false vest E, preferably a single layer of silk or other appropriate material, covering the lower portion of the bosom D and stitched or otherwise permanently connected thereto, an ordinary collar F, stitched or otherwise connected ate 0 to the seminec'kband (Z and also detachably connected to said semineckband through the medium of a collar-button e, a bowknot tie f, connected to the collar F, and sleeves G, of linen or other suitable material, stitched or otherwise secured at their upper ends in the sleeves 0 of the body, at the shoulders thereof, hanging loose in the said sleeves c and terminating at their lower ends in permanently-attached cuffs H, preferably link-cuffs, which depend below the lower ends of the sleeves 0, after the manner of cuffs worn in life.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing, the most careful examination of my novel burial-robe will not reveal any feature that is likely to render the robe repulsive to prospective PUIChELSBIS L 6., relatives or friends of the deadand thereby detract from the Inerchantable Value of the robe. It will also be appreciated that the robe may be readily put upon a corpse by passing the arms of the corpse through the sleeves Gr, attaching the ends of the collar F to the semineckband d, and tying the tapes (3 at the back and that in virtue of the body A being open at the back throughout its length and a stiff bosomD and single-layer false vest E being employed the said bosom and false vest, as well as the front portion of the body A, may be closely fitted over the corpse, so as to present the neat and dressy appearance of the corresponding garments worn in life. Precedent to putting the robe upon a corpse at least one of the connections e between the collar and the semineckband 03 is of coursesevered, so as to permit of the collar being readily placed about the neck of the corpse.

The sleeves Gr and their permanentlyattached cuffs H are important factors in rendering the robe readily salable and contributing to the facility with which the robe may be put upon a corpse without objectionable incidents, as will be gathered from the following:

In burial-robes extant the cuffs are simply pinned in the sleeves of the robe-body. This mode of securing the cuffs in the sleeves of the body is objectionable, because its flimsy character, crudeness, and apparent fraud tend to render the robe repulsive to prospective purchasers, who are always either relatives or friends of the dead,and frequently lead to such persons declining to purchase,with the result that an expensive suit of the deceased is used, which might otherwise be worn for a considerable period by a member of his family. Such mode of securing the cuffs in the sleeves is also objectionable, because in passing the cufls over the rigid hands of a dead body it has frequently been found to be necessary to unpin the cuffs,remove the same,and then open and put the cuffs around the wrists. When this is done in the presence of relatives or friends of the deceased, the flimsy method used in putting up ordinary burial-robes is exhibited, the undertaker is embarrassed, and the business of the manufacturer of burial-garments is injured.

My novel sleeves Gr, secured in the manner described in the sleeves of the robe-body A and terminating at their lower ends in permanently attached cuffs H, do not in any measure render the robe repulsive or objectionable. Moreover, when the novel sleeves Gr and cuffs H are used in the robe the culfs can be readily adjusted over large rigidhands by simply opening the cuffs, positioning the same on the wrists, and then closing the cuffs.

Notwithstanding the advantages possessed by my novel burial-robe, it will be observed that the same may be produced almost, if not quite, as cheaply as the ordinary burial-robes such as are at present on the market.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

A burial-robe comprising a body open at the back throughout its length and open at its front from its upper end to an intermediate point of its length, and havinga collar, lapels and sleeves, astifl bosom permanently secured to the inner side of the front of the body and provided with a collar and a tie, a single-layer false vest arranged over and secured to the lower portion of the bosom, means for closing the body at the back, sleeves G secured at their upper ends in the sleeves of the body adjacent to the shoulders thereof and extending down to a point adjacent to the lower ends of said body-sleeves and terminating at their lower ends in permanently-attached cufis.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILL J. WORDEN.

Witnesses:

CHAS. B. WORTLEY, FRANK E. CILLEY. 

